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Domestic Church

Within the Orthodox Christian faith, each Christian family is considered a Domestic Church, being the smallest unit of Christian community, faith, and practice. It is in the Christian home that one lives out the Orthodox faith. The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus as saying "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (18.20 NAB) What is the Christian home if not two or more gathered in the Name of Christ? Each family, being part of the Church, is charged with much the same ministry as the parish church; namely worship, Christian fellowship, charity, education in the faith, growth in virtue, evangelism, hospitality and works of mercy.
The "religious life" is not limited to those who have taken monastic or priestly vows. Rather, all Christians are called to religious life. As St. Benedict said of his monastery, the Christian home, too, is to be "a school for the Lord's service."